Smile – Read It and Rate It

Smile by Raina Telgemeier Autobiography Biography Graphic novel Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Very captivating. Love the pictures.  The story is so believable. I can so relate to her getting braces. Her whole family is pretty much EXACTLY like mine. CREEPY. Review #2 * * * * Stars (Great!) I liked “Smile” because the girl in “Smile” Raina had a lot of things happen to her teeth. She knocked her adult … Read more

Radium Girls – book review

Radium Girls by Kate Moore Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) During WWI a number of young women worked in factories as dial painters – using radium paint to illuminate the numbers and dials of wristwatches and console panels.  They did not know then that radium was harmful.  Over time, these women developed terrible and debilitating illnesses, many of which proved to be fatal.  Those that sought medical assistance were often misdiagnosed and all … Read more

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World – book review

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert’s Story by Debbie Tung Biography Graphic Novel Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Debbie Tung is an introvert who likes to spend time alone with books and tea and other comforting rituals.  She gets run down quickly when she has to spend time with other people – social interactions and casual gatherings can be hard for her.  Before she learned that there was an introverted personality … Read more

I Have Lived a Thousand Years – Read It and Rate It

I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton Jackson Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) This book was about a young Jewish girl trying to survive the Holocaust.  It tells of the horrors that went on and gives a first-person, inside view of everything that went on while she was there with her mother.  This book reminds us of how horrible man can be.

I Will Always Write Back – book review

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda (w/Liz Welch) Autobiography Biography Memoir Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) When Caitlin was 12, she was given the opportunity to choose a pen pal from another country.  She picked Zimbabwe because it sounded “like the beginning of an adventure.”  She and her pen pal, Martin Ganda, began exchanging letters, and over the years became best friends despite the many miles between them … Read more

Crossing Niagara – Read It and Rate It

Crossing Niagara by Matt Tavares Biography Nonfiction Picture book Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Crossing Niagara is a nonfiction story about a guy named (called) Great Blondin.  He crossed Niagara on a 3 inch wide rope and never fell.  He did many tricks, including carrying a man on his back and standing on a chair.  He finally left Niagara because he felt there was nothing left to accomplish.

Who Was Rosa Parks? – Read It and Rate It

Who Was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough Biography Juvenile Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) Rosa Parks was an amazing woman who stood up for what she believed in. One day when she was on a bus, the bus driver told her to move to give her seat to another man on the bus. Rosa Parks replied, “NO.” So the bus driver called the police. She was put in jail not … Read more

Who Was Joan of Arc? – Read It and Rate It

Who Was Joan of Arc? by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso Biography Nonfiction Review #1 * * * * Stars (Great!) When Joan was a young girl she got a vision that she would lead an army into battle and would win. Joan thought it was impossible…Later she was leading the army into battle. She got another vision saying she would be hit with an arrow during battle. And she was hit with an arrow … Read more

Disaster Diaries – Read It and Rate It

The Disaster Diaries by Sam Sheridan Nonfiction * Star (A waste of time!) The book was supposed to be a self-help book on survival, but I learned nothing from it. The author only told stories about being in the Merchant Marines. He traveled the world to “learn” but all he did was spend a lot of money to learn how to steal cars. He also was rude to almost everyone.